Area Attractions

The Lehigh Valley – population more than 600,000, is home to the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, and is what the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporations coins as “living life right”. Our many attractions, proximity to New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC, events, historical sites, businesses and excellent quality of life make the region a perfect place to live, work and prosper. This must be why so many people are declaring the Lehigh Valley their permanent address.

Both long-time residents and recent newcomers from across the country are thrilled with the low cost of living in the Lehigh Valley when paired with the amenities available. When it comes to your home, the Lehigh Valley is unquestionably one of the finest places to build. Our region offers much more value than most other Northeastern areas with easy access to major cities, and you’ll find that your housing dollars buy you more in the Lehigh Valley. The unemployment rate in the Valley is also one of the lowest in the state and well below the national average, in part because we are home to some of the nation’s top companies, including PPL Corp., Air Products and Chemicals, both of which are Fortune 500 companies, and Olympus Inc. Other large companies, such as Agere Systems, Lutron Electronics Co. Inc., Mack Trucks, Inc., Day-Timers, Crayola, and Just Born, Inc. also are headquartered in the Lehigh Valley. Additional firms such as Dun & Bradstreet Information Services, Wachovia, Guinness Beverage Corporation and Kraft Foods have large divisions located locally.

The many technical colleges and large technology employment base created by the groundbreaking research of long time local inhabitant Bell Labs have created a unique technology base for an area the size of the Lehigh Valley. With our growing local collection of technology, biotech, and pharmaceutical companies, the Lehigh Valley is unquestionably the right place to be when it comes to career growth.

Recreational opportunities also abound – countless golf courses and country clubs, major department stores and malls, an active arts and culture arena, the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail, beautiful public parks, ski areas, and numerous events occur every day to keep residents busy! For the outdoor enthusiast, to the north of Allentown lies the base of the scenic Blue Mountain’s ridge of the Appalachian Mountains and to the south, a small mountain ridge called South Mountain, separating Allentown from the Saucon Valley/Southern Lehigh suburbs. Hiking trails, bird watching and biking opportunities abound in these mountains.

With an enrollment of more than 45,000 students in our eleven colleges and universities, and many first-rate public and private schools for students, the Lehigh Valley is at the pinnacle when it comes to learning. Parkland School District ranks almost 20% higher than much of the state in reading and math proficiency and East Penn Schools are in the same realm. Both consistently climb in ranking year after year, and are impressively, in the top 3% of school districts in the state!

Our hospitals are among the best in the nation. The Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Network is considered one of the country’s finest regional hospitals, in fact U.S. News & World Report released is “America’s Best Hospitals” list for 2006, naming LVH among the top 50 hospitals nationwide for cancer care, digestive disorders, endocrinology, heart care and heart surgery, kidney disease, orthopedics, respiratory disorders and urology. In 2003, Lehigh Valley Hospitals’ three hospitals were honored to receive the prized National Quality Health Care award. St. Luke’s is nationally recognized for excellence. St. Luke’s has twice been chosen as one of the nation’s best hospitals, according to the 100 Top Hospitals: Benchmark for Success Study (1997, 2001). St. Luke’s is the only hospital in our region to have been included in this prestigious study. St. Luke’s Regional Heart Center was aldo ranked as one of the nation’s best heart hospitals in U.S. News & World Report’s annual America’s Best Hospitals issues in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 & 2004 and by the 100 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals: 1999 (two awards), 2001, 2002 & 2003 studies. In addition, St. Luke’s was honored in the 100 Top ICU Hospitals study (2000). St. Luke’s has been named one of the Best Places to work in PA (2003, 2004, 2005).

With abundant indoor and outdoor recreational amenities, welcoming people, reasonably priced housing, urban style and countryside charm, the Lehigh Valley really is the perfect place to settle, live, play, work and grow.